DRW50

A lot of Monday's episode was, frankly, bizarre. How many scenes were spent on Cheryl thinking she had sex with Charlotte? The only amusing part was Charlotte going along with this idea to annoy Cheryl. Cheryl's endless braying and begging Jesus for forgiveness and all the moaning about how awful her life was now that she had "gone gay" -- how stupid is this person? She crawled into bed drunk and has no memory of what happened. It's not like she woke up with her head between Charlotte's legs. And why is this the only gay-related story the show even has, when they have THREE bisexual characters on the canvas?? Steph is not in a great frame of mind and Jake has been mentally ill and made a lot of mistakes but why would Steph totally believe everything Loretta said? It's just plot-driven gunk. Kyle was, as he sometimes is, actually menacing in that scene with Theresa, but Theresa's "scared" acting doesn't do a lot for me. The stuff with the china dogs was silly. I'm just glad that Myra is finally getting more involved in this story, as she should be. Did anyone else think there was a surprising amount of chemistry between Jacqui and Kyle? I think it was badboy93 who said Beth Kingston wasn't that bad, and I have to agree, she seems to be a lot better these days.

Do you think she got anything right?

Spike and Craig had a lot of chemistry together. Obviously that was never going to happen but I wouldn't have objected... The last time they ever showed Spike that I can remember was in October or November 2008, not long after the Ashworths took over the Dog. I sometimes wondered if they brought him back just so they could say "We did this, OK," as some fans had wanted him to return, and after the return there wasn't much else you could do with him. I think he was suddenly a reporter and he kept trying to make it look like Neville Ashworth was turning the Dog into a gay pub. He and Hannah and their hate for each other was a lot of fun to watch. I think some fans were always offended by the way he was with Hannah but really she gave as good as she got. I think they still could have done more with Spike, especially when you consider that was when you started getting so many filler characters (long lost brothers and sisters and so on), and the "comedy" stories Lucy Allan enjoyed. Spike could have fit into some of that. Do you think Kirkwood had a lot of plans for the Roys and Lucy Allan just botched them, or did she not ever care about them? I was bewildered at how quickly most of them were written out and also how quickly Ash was ruined, surely that wasn't the original idea? I haven't watched a lot of that timeframe but I remember an episode where Bel went to work for Louise and she was very rude to Cindy (which naturally helped Louise give Bel the job). There was something kind of unique about Bel, I think they could have done something with her. She had a certain gobbiness which fits Hollyoaks females better than downtrodden heroines fit it. But I guess a lot of that changed after Kirkwood left and she must have become more of the traditional sour mother figure.

The problem I had with Craig's perspective was I never knew if he had one. I don't really have a problem with a straight character going gay, or even a gay character going straight, if the writing is there. First you had the way that Craig beating the crap out of John Paul and attempting to force himself on Sarah were both glossed over. Then they had Craig use both John Paul and Sarah and for all the talk of how conflicted he was, he never seemed all that conflicted to me. Craig went from psychopath to socioipath and the show never really wanted to deal with this because it was all so plot-driven. Then they had the rushed McDean reveal which mostly seemed to happen because Guy was leaving. And a year later, Craig returns, and few of the McDean issues were resolved, we were just supposed to be happy because they got back together. I thought the whole story was a success in terms of getting attention and in pandering to some fans but a mistake in terms of what was done to the characters. The only thing which really made it work after the affair was the chemistry between Guy Burnet and James Sutton. Other than that I wish they had just left them as friends and kept John Paul with Spike or brought in someone else for him. The stuff with Craig also pretty much took away John Paul's personality, he just became "the other man," then he became the gay character until it was time for him to leave a year later. The earlier John Paul stuff, when he was allowed to have humor and charm, were more suited to James Sutton than the constant bursting into tears. I was watching some of the stuff when Kieron and John Paul broke up and when Kieron died and episode after episode ended with John Paul bursting into tears -- no thanks. I also thought that story did a lot of damage to Frankie.

The Disney Channel shows changed so much since I used to see them years ago. I kind of preferred Under the Umbrella Tree or Dumbo's Circus...now kids seem to grow up so fast... Guy could probably break into the American market with the right role, he has that sort of vibe which a lot of Americans tend to enjoy in British guys (arrogant but vulnerable underneath). I was watching more of Craig's relationship with Darlene Taylor and while I know some people hated her character and thought the woman who played her couldn't act, I thought she and Craig had very good chemistry together, even thought she always treated him like a spare part, and I thought Guy's acting was much better with her. With McDean you could usually tell how nervous he was and there was a lot of screaming/crying stuff which few actors do well with.

Jack's a pretty sanctimonious and elitist figure early on, but I think that makes for good drama, as he clashes with the rest of the Sugdens, yet they all clearly still love each other. He also has a lot of moments of humanity and kindness. It's the actions of the later Jack, the one who is a much nicer person yet repeatedly covers up the horrific deeds of his children (mostly Andy), which resulted in two deaths and in Jack himself almost dying, which bother me.

Molly meant to poison Raven but Nadine unknowingly took the poison instead. Molly killed Elliot and tried to kill Cliff because she thought they were close to finding out the truth. I think she made it look like Kelly attacked her to put more suspicion on him as the prime suspect.

He had such a ruggedness and sincerity about him. I think he looked best with the mustache though. I still can't believe instead of bringing him back they recast with useless Chris Pennock. Why?? His Justin seemed like he was always about to either cry or light up.

It's also very good marketing. You will hear lots of talk about how THIS story is different because of the Muslim aspect, when actually that part of the story has been significantly downplayed all along. This is actually the most basic and most cliched of gay romances, but the show's PR people sold it as some kind of daring storyline. If people like the story I'm glad for them, it's nice to have a soap couple to enjoy, but I just when I hear this story praised for groundbreaking nature. It's a shame because Eastenders at its best can do social issue stories justice. Maybe Kirkwood, who did a decent job with those types of stories (Hannah's anorexia, carbon monoxide poisoning, cot death) at Hollyoaks, can improve things. Between this story and the mockery made of Whitney's sexual abuse, it needs improving. They did get a big audience but I think that was also down to the day of the year and the poor weather, and also to the Masood family as a whole. It's just a shame that the show has since damaged Masood and Zainab to try to make Syed look better, because they were really becoming fantastic characters.

Has Christian ever been a shrewd businessman? I don't know if that was his intention but I thought the scenes were just another excuse to show that he is still hooked on Syed and was coming up with reasons to be around the Masoods. The problem with not being important to the story is that most of these issues were what the publicity machine for the show has said the Chryed story was supposed to be about. A man's struggle with his faith and his sexuality. Instead, it has always just been will they/won't they, with nonexistent storyline beyond sad faces and teary eyes. Whether it is Syed's Muslim background, Christian being beaten up twice, Syed attempting suicide, now the ex-gay therapy -- it all somehow becomes no big deal, and I think that is a very socially irresponsible way to tell a story.

Was that Jack's ex-wife? I can't remember Lynn. That would be interesting though. I'd like to see Janie Harker again too. Or Pat's long lost youngest son.

I still don't know if Charlie is really dying or not. He was not all that convincing with Rodney, although he was when he was with Diane. As awful as it sounds I hope he is because I think Diane can cope with this more than she can cope with being conned out of her pub and her trust and love and respect. I feel just awful for her -- she's had a horrible few years. That scene is still stuck in my head from last year when the Bartons took over Andy's farm and Diane stopped by and met them and took one last look I think Charlie told her that with treatment, which he doesn't want, he would have at best two years and at worst six months. I don't remember what business Layla is setting up, I think it's something with food. The girl comforting her was Gennie Walker, Shadrach's biological daughter. He gave her up at birth as her mother, his mistress, had died in childbirth. She was raised by Brenda and Brendan. Brendan is dead, but Brenda is running the shop and dates Terry. Speaking of Terry, has his older son Thomas Carter ever been on the show? Terry mentioned him to Tom King after Tom's son Max died. I had never heard of him. Terry said he barely knew Thomas. I guess he'd be about 24 now. I really would like to see Terry get a storyline so that could be one, and he'd fit into the demo the show is targeting now. I haven't seen a lot of the episodes with Lady Tara in them. I should though, I've heard she was fantastic, especially her first run. I saw her husband, Alex, who was a sleaze. Did you ever see the direct to video thing where Shane Maguire from Shameless (whoever he was on Emmerdale -- I think it was a Glover), Eric, and Kathy all went to London or somewhere to track Alex down after he caused Linda Glover's death? Kathy had a romance with an undercover cop, complete with a "too hot for TV", I guess, scene of the two of them on the bed in their underthings. It's too bad that Eric is so isolated these days. I still enjoy his scenes with David (and all the scenes with David and Layla, they're a very believable/sexy/fun couple) but he can be so much more. Biff was passed around to just about all the single women at the time wasn't he? Kelly, Linda (he was married to her of course), Kathy, Tara...I'm surprised they never brought him back, aside from the brief stint for Seth's funeral.

I haven't watched much of the Lucy Allan era, not on a day to day (or even month to month) basis, but I thought that Friday's episode was pretty good. I was actually sort of frightened with Loretta picking up Steph and taking her who knows where, and then the stuff with Kyle threatening Lauren and finding out Teresa was pregnant. The story which for me just sucks is the stuff with Cheryl. I don't know why they think she's a star.

Yeah, Taylor's resurrection was a secret. If I felt sorry for Bradley Bell, I would in that moment, because he pulled off something very rare and yet most people were too horrified by Hunter Tylo's changed appearance to care about much else. The show has been clever in that they have not actually said Denise is dying, they just leave enough clues to make viewers wonder. It's a good way to get attention and a good way to make viewers care, especially since the rest of the Foxes, aside from Patrick, aren't interesting enough on their own. Libby and Chelsea have their moments (Tiana Benjamin has been better than I expected), but I think the show has made the right decision in firing Libby. And not to be crude, but her huge knockers steal my attention in every scene she has. I swear they keep getting bigger. The World Cup stuff was so sudden and Minty's raging made him look so pathetic. I wish it had been fleshed out more but then that would mean more Minty airtime so I shouldn't complain. I'm enjoying Jodie and Darren more than I thought I would (I like that she makes fun of how thick people think she is and that she can stand up for herself), and Darren and Max are great together. Max has been such a revelation with Tanya off. Some fans complained about the Denise/Lucas scenes being too long but overall I thought they were very good. They got better and better, especially when she began to realize how insane he was, and how she kept voicing her opinion even as she knew she was going to make him furious. The scenes were so believable and terrifying. Diane Parish does so much with her arms and her eyes and her face, and Don Gilet, now that the writing is there for him, has been genuinely terrifying. All of these scenes have been the type of out there, am-I-watching-this stuff which Eastenders hasn't really done in a long long time. I can't believe Christian and Syed are still in the same place...it's just bizarre and confirms how empty the characters are. Syed is going to ex-gay "therapy" -- even someone who feels this is successful for them would say their life changes. Syed is the same as ever. The same old come here/go away stuff with Christian, a silly reason for Christian to see the Masoods (which again shows how hollow the character is -- he's happily selling his share of the business to people who made his life hell and to Zainab after all she said to Jane), and absolutely no scenes of Syed in therapy, which is the only valuable thing that this story would provide. If you are going to bring this up then you need to actually deal with the issue. Instead, just like gay-bashings and suicide attempts and religious opposition to homosexuality, this story has skimmed issues for headlines and has been too gutless to actually address them.

Thank you so much for your very detailed answers to my questions, I can actually picture all of this in my head, as if I was watching the show myself. So was DePriest's stint on the show just one of many which didn't quite work out after the Pollocks left? I've heard people say she was a decent writer before the 80s. Virginia's story is heartbreaking. I'm sorry that she didn't have more years and while I know she was probably very appreciated in her lifetime, what with her run in 1776, I wish she knew how many have loved her work on Dark Shadows, which is just electrifying. So you saw all the Nolas, right? What did you think of Kathleen Turner, Kathryn Harold, and finally Kim Zimmer?

One of my favorite songs (and apparently one of Kate Bush's too...)

Ryan's new girlfriend. I wonder if he'll ever be able to remember she has a face... http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/soaps/3047098/Catherine-Tyldesley-and-Pauline-Quirke-join-Emmerdale-cast.html

I haven't seen both episodes yet (the Denise stuff was fantastic though, especially how Diane Parish played her fear, even as Denise finally tried to stand up to Lucas -- all of that was touching something most soaps don't try for), but I can't wait that Minty to get the f*** out. It's an incredibly stupid storyline to get incensed over World Cup tickets when the end of the World Cup is only a few days away -- how could they afford those tickets and why did neither of them seem to be in much of a hurry? On Coronation Street, not exactly a haven of great writing at the moment, Carla and Trevor left for the World Cup weeks ago and just got back! And Minty's rage at Darren was so full force and petty. Add in that he is becoming EE's version of Violet in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and I just can't take him.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s13/hollyoaks/scoop/a240936/hollyoaks-titles-delayed-again.html

Cheryl's braying is just unbearable isn't it? I had to skip about 1/3 of the episode thanks to her. And what a selfish friend she is to drag Steph around when Steph just finished serious cancer treatment. I also don't care for Jem, she seems entitled and sour-faced and she has a weird voice. The only thing I liked was that they had she and India bond at the end of their little fight over who should get a job. I like that so far Marquess seems to be saying women don't need to have silly feuds. He did this with Cindy and Suzanne too. Of those you listed I like Charlotte (that scene where she checked out Jem's ass was hilarious and surprising), but the others I barely tolerate. Well I could like Gaz but that is only with a lot of serious changes and time and will they make the effort, is he worth the effort? I don't know. I just wish we knew who was being fired and who left on their own because would they have fired Zak (and then this caused Michaela to quit) if they knew so many others were going? Or is this all part of their plan? These new characters are going to have to be phenomenal, and yet even if they are, will viewers be invested if they are just new faces interacting with other new faces? I know there will be some overlap but I just wish more people were staying around. If Clare Cooper leaves you will hear my scream over the Interwebs... Nancy might eat him for lunch though. I thought Gilly might go when Steph does but if not then he could still have interesting stories. I'm glad he and Rhys are having more scenes, I have always liked that friendship.

No, not Malachy :( I wish Mercedes could go with him. The character is exhausted and after this I can't see her with anyone else. I will kind of miss Amy and Dom, although I guess I'm not shocked. It figures that right after an episode where Amy was more fun than she has EVER been (loved her attempts to show her wild side by bragging about getting knocked up behind the bushes, then realizing how stupid this was) she's leaving. They really seem to be losing or firing every existing cast member. I wonder if they might regret firing so many actors now, it's going to be all new character aside from one or two faces. If those faces, like Ashley Taylor Dawson, leave, what then??

Thanks for the interviews Y&RWT. She looks a bit like the one who played Mandy, although she shouldn't make that fish face. Garnon Davies is leaving the show. I guess Elliot has been just sort of there for a long time but Garnon's a good actor (cute too) and I still liked Elliot. I was kind of hoping he and Nancy would get together, since that would make him the only man to be with Sarah, Hannah, and Nancy, and that's good for trivia. Poor Jessica Fox must be sweating bullets, if she wants to stay on the show -- that makes everyone she has had a story or scene with either gone or going.

Apparently Paula had a hip operation which didn't go well, and she had to have further work done. A few weeks ago people saw her back filming on the webcam.

If you spent that much time around Rick James you'd probably end up the same way... That's a good Alanis song. Love Crystal Gayle. She had some fantastic country-pop songs that she didn't get enough credit for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnTwnSrGq5Q&feature=related

I didn't watch the interview yet but I'm glad if they're bringing on more family for Declan. I hope Declan will stay around. He just fascinates me, he's so calm and controlled and strong, yet he's not a bully, he has some sort of principles. He's also very hot. I hope they will build a friendship between David and Declan.